Sex Offenders, Gang Members Apprehended near Texas Border

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents stopped migrants with histories of violence, gang membership, and sex offenses from successfully making their way into the U.S. interior. The arrests occurred in multiple incidents over the Veteran’s Day holiday weekend.

Agents assigned to the McAllen Border Patrol Station arrested a migrant who illegally crossed the border near Mission, Texas, on the afternoon of November 12. During an immigration interview, the agents learned that the migrant came from El Salvador. A criminal history check revealed sexual abuse of a child or minor. A Washington, D.C. court convicted the man on the charge and sentenced him to 180 days in confinement, according to Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.

Later that day, McAllen Station agents apprehended a Guatemalan national near Sullivan City. The agents arrested the illegal immigrant and transported him for processing and a background investigation. Agents found court records that indicated the Guatemalan received a conviction from a court in Los Angeles, California, in 2016 for lascivious acts with a child. The court sentenced the man to one year in confinement.

Two days earlier, McAllen Station agents arrested a Mexican man near Mission, Texas. A biometric background investigation revealed the Grant County, Washington, Sheriff’s Office arrested the illegal immigrant from Mexico on a charge of rape of a child. The Washington State court convicted the man and sentenced him to serve nine-months confinement.

On Friday morning, agents assigned to the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint, located on U.S. Highway 281 about 80 miles north of the U.S. border with Mexico, arrested a U.S. citizen for allegedly attempting to smuggle a group of 22 illegal immigrants. The agents took the group of migrants to the station for a background investigation. During a records check, agents learned that one of the men received a conviction from a Salvadoran court for aggravated homicide. The court sentenced the man to 18 years in prison.

And finally, the La Joya Police Department contacted the McAllen Border Patrol Station on Thursday about a failed human smuggling attempt. Agents responded to the scene and identified two of the subjects as illegal immigrants. The agents transported the migrants to the station for a background check that revealed one of the men to be a known member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

All of the illegal immigrants will be processed according to Rio Grande Valley Sector guidelines. Those who illegally re-entered the U.S. after being deported could face additional federal charges for aggravated re-entry after removal as a sex offender or violent criminal.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Border/Cartel Chronicles. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.